The film centers on a wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man (Ed Helms) who, when his role model dies, must represent his company at a regional insurance conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his mind is blown by the big-town experience.

Reilly's character also is attending the conference and is a family man who sees the event as a vacation and time to let loose.

Aaron Guzikowski's spec script centers on a small-town carpenter whose young daughter and best friend are kidnapped. After the cops fail to find them, the man turns vigilante and starts an investigation of his own.

Director Bryan Singer, leading men Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale had previously been attached to the project, but their involvement is now uncertain after the project was reconfigured for a lower $40 million budget--and all three have seemingly moved on to other films.

The film is being fast-tracked with shooting to kick off early next year.

Church plays Tal Hajus, an ambitious and vicious Thark warrior who is biding his time to be a ruler. Purefoy plays Kantos Kan, the captain of the Xavarian, the kingdom of Helium’s grand warship. Strong is Matai Shang, the ruler of the Thems with godlike status.

Candy tells the story of a "19-year-old who moves to Hollywood, quickly finds fame as a reality series star and then has to deal with the ramifications of living a fishbowl life."

The producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey say they"loved her take," adding: "Her book is an honest portrayal of what it must be like to set out to be normal, then sign on to become famous and eventually realize, wow, this isn't at all what I'd planned for myself."

Conrad apparently plans to write two more book about the main characters....

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Halcyon Company filed for bankruptcy recently, Variety reports that one option being heavily considered right now is to either partially or outright sell the rights to the Terminator franchise to bring the company out of insolvency. This is the 2nd time T -rights are up for sale...

Halycon have now hired the financial advisory firm FTI Capital Advisors to look into their options as the company's only real asset.

The company is in debt of several million to Pacificor, LLC a Santa Barbara hedge fund. FTI's managing director Kevin Shultz says "We're going to be contacting a variety of studios and independent companies."

Someone else will scoop up T-rights eventually--it's just a question of what they do with 'em and how long the process takes...

An adaptation of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee novel series, DiCaprio would play McGee, a self-described beach bum who lives aboard 52-foot houseboat the Busted Flush and alleviates his cash-flow problems by hiring on as a "salvage consultant." He recovers property for clients, taking a hefty percentage and getting into a lot of danger and romance in sun-drenched Florida.

The sequel Defendors, wouldn.t star Woody Harrelson but a group of other guys who idolize his character.

The first pic sees Arthur Poppington (Harrelson), a construction worker who.s responsible for holding up traffic signs by day and fighting crime as Defendor by night. He gets in trouble when he beats up an undercover cop when he catches him abusing a prostitute named Kat (Kat Dennings) Kat and Defendor then oin forces to track down his arch rival Captain Industry.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said they discovered last week that Polanski had plans to travel to Zurich this weekend to receive an award at the film festival and prepared paperwork for his arrest as Switzerland which has extradition treaties with the US.

A spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police says that if Polanski agrees with an extradition, he could be sent to the U.S. in the next few days but if not, a lengthy court process could stretch out for months or years.

The first theatrical trailer for the April 30th 2009 Nightmare on Elm Street remake has hit the Net...Based on the original Wes Craven classic from 1984...it has me...curious...But as usual with remakes not jazzed...

Harris has more than enough genre cred to pull this off. While I'm not jumping out of my skin over the backstory notion--Halloween-2007 and its sequel proved that that's not always a smart move...I'm very happy for Harris just the same...

"It's purely a function of time," said Norton. "It's always about just working things out on the schedule.I get very busy. You have to deal with the demands of your moment," he continued. "I tend to keep my head in the thing I'm doing and I don't speculate or worry too much about what two or three blocks down the thing is going to be. "

*IMAX and Sony Picturesannounced that the highly-anticipated Michael Jackson's This Is Itdocu will be released for a special run in select digital IMAX theaters worldwide during the film's limited two-week engagement in thousands of theaters globally starting on October 28th 2009.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Back in 1978, Polanski was accused of giving a 13-year-old model champagne and subsequently having sexual intercourse with her at Jack Nicholson's home (the actor was not home at the time). After pleading guilty and fleeing the country, there had been several attempts to settle the case, but Polanski had refused to attend hearings in the states. Just last year, Polanski’s lawyer attempted to get the case thrown out — citing a documentary--Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired that depicts backroom deals between prosecutors and the original judge assigned to the case — but a Los Angeles Superior Court refused to do so, thus opening the case back up should Polanski return to the U.S. and appear in court. The victim in the case, Samantha Geimer, now 45 years old, has requested that the case be thrown out....

Meatballs equaled the most moolah again as Sony’s second weekend of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” dominated the nation’s box office with $24.6 million at 3,119, easily topping the debuts of Disney’s “Surrogates,” MGM’s “Fame” and Overture’s “Pandorum.”

“Meatballs” showed strong holding power with a decline of only 19%, lifting its 10-day cume to $60 million. The 3D toon took in $5.6 million on Friday, then doubled that figure on Saturday to $11.2 million and $7.8 million on Sunday.

Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story” generated impressive heat in its launch with $240,000 at four for the weekend, achieving the top per screen average this year with $60,000. “Capitalism” has cumed $306,586 in its first five days and will expand to about 1,000 next weekend.

“Surrogates,” starring Bruce Willis, finished a distant second with $15 million at 2,951 as the sci-fier came in under forecasts. With an $80 million budget, the modest launch represents a disappointment for the Mouse House.

“Fame” followed in third with $10 million at 3,096 as the reboot - a co-production between Lakeshore and MGM/United Artists - finished at the low end of expectations. The audience for “Fame” was 78% female and 55% under 25 as “Cloudy” appeared to cut into the potential audience.

Warner’s second frame of Matt Damon’s “The Informant” held respectably in fourth with a 34% decline to $6.9 million at 2,505 for a 10-day cume of $21 million.

Lionsgate’s third frame of “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” followed with $4.8 million at 2,241 for a 17-day total of $44.5 million. That edged Overture’s tepid launch of outer-space horror entry “Pandorum” with $4.4 million at 1,759 as horror titles continue to underpeform....

Seconds, anyone? Eating up $24.6 million worth of tickets, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs defied box office gravity by falling a minuscule 19 percent to win the top spot yet again. The CG family film capitalized on good buzz...

I'm a bit surprised that Surrogates with Bruce Willis could not win based on his star power alone...Reviews for the sci-fi action pic are pretty bad though...

Lots of folks are talking about their movie projects this week....A new website launched to tease ya till an eagerly awaited film opens in Dec..And a director ha a new top grossing film in his filmography.

Donner said 'First Class' has no scheduled start date and no actors have signed contracts to appear in the film however the various cast members who played the young mutants in X-Men Origins: Wolverine were 'under option'.

Donner also revealed that early plans have been considered for a fourth X-Men film but the idea has yet to be pitched to the studio...

*Michael Sheen told the IRSB gang that he's heard the rumors but hasn't been approached to appear in Underworld 4- "...nobody has actually spoken to me about it, so I don't know. Maybe it is going to take place without me. I'm not sure"...

"We wanted to have the Predator look as it did in the original film. We went back and looked at the original. I actually worked in the shop with Stan Winston on the first film. It was great to be able to go back to the series having not been involved in any of the sequels, and it was also great to be able to make sure we built them as Stan Winston did".

"Grey Gandalf is my favorite. Peter Jackson's too, we always preferred Gandalf the Grey. Peter liked him because he got down and dirty. He slept in the hedgerows; he was closer to the earth and not quite so spiritual. He's also funnier -- he's got more variety to him. We thought there was more scope in that Gandalf."

*"Zombieland (due in theaters this Friday October 2nd) co-writer Rhett Reese told STYD that the late Patrick Swayze was going to have a cameo role in the horror-comedy before he was diagnosed with cancer. Swayze unfortunately had to bow out...

Reese and writing partner Paul Wernick have turned in drafts of a Venom script. Wernick told SCI FI Wire in an exclusive interview “We’ve written two drafts of Venom, and the studio has it, and they’re pushing forward in whatever ways they push forward"

Saturday, September 26, 2009

"There's a draft of the script, but the writer did such a great job [that]in order to make the movie, you would need half a billion dollars. So the studio went, 'This movie is fantastic and it would cost half a billion dollars so he's doing a rewrite" said Reeves.

Adding: "The only challenge was to make a satisfying western narrative out of the kind of storytelling that happens. There's a great draft, so we're just trying to pull it back a little bit now" .

The original story is set during a time when "astral gates" make interstellar travel possible.

Humanity has been decimated by a lunar explosion resulting from a gate accident, spreading us out across the solar system.

A crime wave spreads , giving rise to the use of bounty hunters.

Reeves will play Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter and former member of a crime syndicate.

"No one has contacted me or anybody that represents me to ask if we were interested. I don't know anything about it... The whole thing about me being on board could not be farther from the truth. I would love to be a part of the film, but I haven't heard anything about it"

A few weeks ago director Peter Bergnever mentioned Bateman by name while discussing the sequel--saying essentially"Everyone's back"...A Variety article listed Bateman as a returnee...

What say you Mr.Berg?

Meantime the film version of "Arrested Development" is "still being written and my guess is that is will be shot some time next year. I have a feeling that Mitch [Hurwitz] is halfway done writing it. We'll probably shoot it middle of next year and then for however long things take to get cut and marketed, so maybe the first part of 2011 I would imagine. That's just a guess."

Geoffrey Rush tells MTV that he's ready to get back to work as Captain Barbosa in the 4th film which kicks off shooting in Spring.

"They're waiting for the screenplay writers to put together something that's beyond the trilogy, take it off into a new direction so that it's fresh and hopefully really interesting for an audience, that they're not going to just sausage-machine out something else, which wouldn't be so good"

He then jokingly admits that neither the studio or prodder Jerry Bruckheimer have been in touch with him about it.

Friday, September 25, 2009

The article says the script he turned in was not a retelling of the famous Holocaust drama taken from the diaries of Anne Frank,

Mamet delivered the story of a contemporary Jewish girl who goes to Israel and learns about the traumas of suicide bombing. The script apparently delivers a pro-Israeli exploration of modern Antisemitism.

"It's very intense, and dark and scary. It's not a film version of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.' The story evolved into something more intense" says one insider-the subject matter is too difficult for Disney to produce or distribute.

If the script doesn't focus on Frank then why use her name? Mamet will most likely find a home for his script.

In the wake of former chief Dick Cook's sudden departure, the studio is unlikely to give the go-ahead on any projects in development until new management has been named.

Tom Cruise can save the day on screen for sure...But as the owner of a faltering movie studio...maybe not so much...

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that suits at MGM/United Artists have met with their shareholders to admit they're basically out of money, and the shareholders are considering letting the company go bankrupt, collecting their shares and calling it a day.

MGM currently holds 2 very important properties, The Hobbit and the James Bond film series, both of which have films in the pipeline that need to go into production soon.

If the studio goes belly up again they'd probably lose the rights to Bond, and production on The Hobbit plans get delayed .

No telling when or what the shareholders may decide, but you can bet that there are a few folks holding their collective breaths waiting for word... Stay Tuned...

In a Variety article outlining their upcoming slate Dimension Films is clearly trying to boost its bottom line--helping out parent The Weinstein Company's finances and future--which has been on shaky ground for awhile.

Chief Bob Weinstein: "I’m going back to doing what I do best...I’m heading back to my franchise films".

Disney is aiming to hunt down the top spot this weekend with the opening of Bruce Willis starrer "Surrogates" at 2,951 playdates. Pic faces MGM's reboot of "Fame" at 3,096 and Overture's outer-space horror pic "Pandorum" at 2,506, along with Sony's second sesh of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" has already generated heat with $36,416 from four sites in Los Angeles and New York on Wednesday. Overture will take the financial bailout docu wide next weekend.

"Surrogates," set in a future where humans interact via androids, should satisfy sci-fi fans and may be able to expand into other demos thanks to the star power of Willis, who portrays an FBI agent investigating a series of murders. It's his first major role since 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard," which grossed $383 million worldwide.

Disney's marketing push for "Surrogates," directed by Jonathan Mostow, highlights the fast-paced action and futuristic aspects of the $80 million project, which carries a PG-13 rating and a relatively brisk 88-minute running time.

With Willis worldwide profile, Disney's also opted to go day and date with "Surrogates" in 11 foreign markets, including Australia, Russia, Spain and the U.K.

Rivals believe "Surrogates" should finish in the low to mid 20s, with "Meatballs" providing the most competition. The 3D toon had taken in $34.2 million in its first six days as of Wednesday and looks likely to decline about 40% for a second frame in the high teens.

The "Meatballs" opening was the third best September launch ever, just ahead of "Eagle Eye," which debuted on the same weekend last year with $29.2 million.

"Fame," MGM's first title this year, is an update of the 1980 musical drama centered on aspiring hoofers, actors and musicians. Thesps in the student roles are unknowns, with Megan Mullally, Debbie Allen, Kelsey Grammer and Charles Dutton in supporting roles.

"Fame" carries a PG rating and an $18 million budget, with support most likely to come from young females and fans of the original. Tracking shows a weekend take in the low to mid-teens.

Prospects are murky for the R-rated "Pandorum," starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster as astronauts on a deserted spacecraft, since its target audience will probably be more likely to attend "Surrogates." "Pandorum" carries a $40 million budget; Overture's exposure is said to be under $10 million.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

An adaptation of author William Joyce's "Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs", the story follows a bug troop who do everything they can to save a garden from the wrath of an evil spider queen.With nowhere left to turn, the bugs ask the Leaf Men for help.

The young adult tomes followed the lives of identical twins with dissimilar personalities - the sensitive and practical Elizabeth and the flighty and boy-crazy Jessica - in the fictional town of Sweet Valley.